The Reason Why
by angelslaugh
Summary: Companion piece to 'The Banished'. Advice: I would read some of The Banished before this. M for language. Established KakaIru. Don't like, don't read. Series of One-Shots related to 'The Banished' and its sequel,' The Returned'.
1. The Reason Why Kakashi

**I realized, in writing 'The Banished', that I wrote down Kakashi, Iruka, and Naruto as like a family unit. So, here's a little one-shot about a few points in this 'family's' life. This IS a companion piece to 'The Banished'.**

 **If you want more one-shots, like a one-shot of Naruto making Iruka's previous boyfriend leave... Well, just review it. Or PM me. Whichever.**

 **To the one-shot!**

 **~:~**

Kakashi appeared in front of the Sandaime for the third year in a row, a month before this years' students were going to graduate from the Academy. "Can I -"

The other jounin senseis watched the Sandaime hold up his hand, then shuffle through the six teams Kakashi had taken care of in the past three years.

"No." The Sandaime responded after a while.

"But -"

"No." The Sandaime looked amused at Kakashi's actions, which puzzled the other jounin senseis.

"But, sir -"

"I said _no!"_

Kakashi _pouted._ "Yes, sir," he said in a sullen tone. The man went out the window.

~:~

Taking a week's leave, the jounin searched far and wide for the one and only Sannin, Jiraiya.

When he'd finally found him, he was drinking liquor and laughing at the women.

But upon seeing Kakashi, who had literally run from the next town, he stopped and apologized to the ladies and went to get up.

"Jiraiya-sama, please ask the Hokage to allow me to be my sensei's child's sensei!" Kakashi burst out.

Jiraiya blinked at him. "...what?"

"I want to be Naruto's sensei, but the Hokage won't let me." Kakashi managed, somehow, to look like a petulant child.

"And you think he'll allow you on _my_ behalf?" Jiraiya asked, incredulous. "How many teams have you failed?"

"The magical number," Kakashi replied. "I got saddled down with six genin teams. Three of the jounin senseis got killed," he added at Jiraiya's horrified look.

Then Jiraiya looked thoughtful.

"Well, I can write to him," Jiraiya nodded. "But I don't know if my recommendation will be enough. If that doesn't help, threaten to burn the book in the third drawer of his desk." Kakashi smirked, though the only evidence of that was his crinkled eye, and bowed at Jiraiya. Then he popped, revealing he was nothing more than a Kage Bunshin.

~:~

When the Sandaime entered his office, Kakashi had just flicked a lighter on.

The clear smell of kerosene hung in the air, and the Sandaime stared, horrified, at the books on the ground.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi's voice was pleasant. "Can I please be the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto this time? The sensei of Team 7?"

The Sandaime gulped, then nodded quickly. He signed the papers in a matter of seconds, stamped them, and shoved them into Kakashi's hands.

Kakashi flicked the lighter off, smiled and bowed.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

It only crossed his mind just _who_ must have told him where those books were _after_ he'd signed the paper. Danzou wouldn't tell anyone, Tsunade was a drunk, none of his ANBU knew _which_ drawer held it, and Orochimaru was a traitor. That

 _DAMN YOU, JIRAIYA!_

~:~

Iruka snorted at what Naruto was saying, her bubbly personality making the words funnier than they were probably supposed to be.

"Naruto, hitting Ami is _not_ a good thing," Iruka scolded her.

"Well what was I supposed to do, huh?" Naruto scowled as she slurped up some ramen. "By the way, when is Inu-baka coming home?"

It warmed Iruka's heart she called his small apartment 'home', and not the lonely apartment she went back to 'home'. Iruka didn't have enough space, but Kakashi or Iruka (sometimes both) walked her home. It was their duty to make sure she was safe when walking home, after all.

"He should be here soon," Iruka said, glancing at the clock. Since he'd started dating Kakashi, he'd gotten used to a few odds and ends appearing here and there. Then, Kakashi had given him puppy eyes and asked to move in, and Iruka had relented. It was a relatively quiet relationship, despite the fact that jounin occasionally came by to talk to Iruka. It was not like Kurenai and Asuma, who went on very public dates. Iruka and Kakashi were private people. It was commonplace enough as it was to see Naruto doing homework at Iruka's.

He knew she couldn't read, but that the Kyuubi helped her out with that. He didn't attempt to teach her, knowing she'd get upset and angry and defensive.

Kakashi came in through the front door, giving Iruka a beaming smile.

"I take it you were successful?" Iruka asked, getting the scent of kerosene off of Kakashi. The previous night he'd gotten a great idea in the middle of the night, and he hadn't been seen since.

"Yep. Did a few D-Ranks to clear things up with the Hokage," Kakashi replied. "Anyway, you'll definitely pass this time, baka-chan."

Naruto grinned at him. "Yay!" She fistpumped the air. "Now sit, Inu-baka!" Despite knowing his real name, Naruto had vowed, in front of them, to never speak it until she became a genin. She'd nearly blurted it out several times before, but had slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Are you ready for the graduation test?" Iruka asked her. He and his ex, Mizuki, were going to be the proctors for it.

Naruto blinked at him. "Hokage-jiji said you need to fail me." Her eyes were calm and accepting. Too calm. "I can't tell you why, but if I do this for him then I can be a ninja. Kay?"

Her eyes begged him to understand.

Iruka sighed. "Aright, fine. But if I don't see you with a headband next time I see you tomorrow night, then I'm going to the Hokage. Got it?"

Naruto nodded, then started in on her sandwich.

Kakashi ruffled her hair and went into the kitchen.

~:~

Kakashi, if he was totally honest, was kind of scared of Naruto. KIND OF.

He'd just started dating Iruka quietly, and Naruto had smiled at him and acted like she/he had liked Kakashi.

Until, of course, it was made obvious that she did _not._ Well... Not so much _disliked_ as _wary_ of.

He remembered that day _very_ clearly.

FLASHBACK NO JUTSU (brought to you by Kakashi)

Kakashi had just made a cup of coffee when Naruto's footsteps edged into the kitchen.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," he said, his nose picking up on the hormonal difference of the male Naruto versus the female version. "What's up?"

He turned when he sensed danger, and a red-eyed Naruto glared at him. Kakashi swallowed.

"If you hurt Iruka," Naruto said, taking a kunai and setting it down, "I will hunt you down and rip your throat out myself. Are we clear?" He smiled at Kakashi, doing _nothing_ to reassure the silver-haired jounin.

Frankly, the kid's smile scared him more than anything. Kakashi started to sweat nervously.

"We're clear," he said in a high, yet quiet, voice.

Naruto's eyes faded to that normal blue again, and Kakashi flinched at that grin that spread itself so joyously across his face.

FLASHBACK END

Kakashi shuddered a little. The little blonde girl he was going to teach would be a terrifying opponent one day.

~:~

And then that awful night came.

Kakashi was tracking down that idiot jinchuuriki girl when he came across a sigh he'd never thought he'd see. Iruka, wounded. With a hole in the middle of his back.

"Naruto... Is my little sister," coughed the man. Warm pride swirled in the hidden jounin, who looked down to see Naruto's eyes filling with tears. "She's a bundle of joy and yes, somewhat of an idiot. But she's my little sister, and I will never stop loving her. She's not the fox. She's a friend of the fox, certainly, but she's not the fox." Naruto shoved a fist in her mouth, possibly to hide the sob that came out quieter than what had been expected.

"Either way, both of you will still die!" Mizuki took out a kunai. Iruka shut his eyes. Naruto's aura seemed to pulse, and her red eyes caught Kakashi's attention. Naruto let the kunai hit her in the shoulder, and her eyes burned into Mizuki. Kakashi realized that the fox's chakra was leaking out, as well as the purest, oldest form of KI known to man; and a chuunin like Mizuki - a coward of the highest order - had no chance. Iruka seemed unaffected.

"Don't you **_dare_** _touch my sensei!"_ Naruto _snarled._ A red film started to cover her body, bubbling chakra coming up. The Forbidden Scroll on her back fell away, the string holding it to her body incinerated by the Kyuubi's corrosive chakra.

She put her fingers in the sign of the Shadow Clone, and a massive burst of chakra flared. Hundreds of shadow clones appeared.

"You're about to feel my wrath, a hundred times over! Ready for it?" Naruto challenged, glaring at him.

Mizuki whimpered, "No!"

"Too bad," Naruto spat, launching herself at him and delivering a harsh swipe.

Soon, he was an unrecognizable lump of black and blue, and Naruto was fussing over Iruka. Still Kakashi didn't move, Shiranui Genma appearing next to him and halting at Kakashi's stillness.

And yes, Naruto's care for Iruka was beyond visible at this point. The fact that Naruto, not even genin, had helped her sensei - who was notorious for his defense of the so-called 'demon child', but who had many reasons to _hate_ Naruto - made many things clear to the shinobi.

"Naruto, I'm fine. But I want you to close your eyes," Iruka said gently.

Naruto nodded, and closed her eyes. Iruka reached up and took off his hitai-ate, then tied it around her head.

Naruto tensed, opening her eyes.

"Sensei?"

"Congrats, kiddo," he grinned. "You're officially a genin!"

Naruto burst into tears and hugged her sensei.

Kakashi dropped down.

"Oi, gaki-chan."

Naruto turned and ran at him, hugging _him._ Kakashi tensed, but ruffled her hair like Iruka had done only moments ago. "I have to go take Iruka-koi to the hospital. Genma will take care of you until I get you, okay?"

Naruto sniffled and nodded.

"Go home," he instructed her. "I'll be there after I take him to the hospital. Ibiki-san, please take care of the traitor."

Naruto's eyes went red-hued as she looked at the piece of trash, but she followed the senbon enthusiast as he whistled for the girl's attention.

"Oi, gaki. I'll be takin' care of ya," Genma winked. "I travel faster than a genin, so let me carry you." He grinned at her.

She looked unimpressed and unsure.

"Go!" Kakashi ordered, eyes flashing. She nodded, her face paling as she hopped on Genma's back.

Kakashi looked down at his paling lover. "Hey, dolphin," he grinned. "Guess you're my bride."

Iruka gave him a glare. "Kakashi, I will gut _you_ if you make those jokes."

Kakashi snorted as he jumped up, getting to the hospital in record time.

~:~

Shiranui Genma blinked as the gaki gave him directions to Kakashi's apartment. The kid wiggled off of his back when he stopped on the balcony of Kakashi's home and unlocked the door with a key on a ring of keys.

"Gaki -"

"Naruto. My name is _Naruto,"_ the kid snapped. "Not 'gaki'. Jeez. And I don't live here, but I'm not leaving here until I know Iruka's okay." Her eyes had a red hue to it, but she barely glanced at him as she stalked in, leaving the door wide open. "Want some ramen? Or tea? I only know how to make jasmine tea, sorry."

"Tea's fine, kid." He wanted to ask her, he really did -

"Ask away."

He looked at her back as she prepared the tea. Her shoulders were slumped.

"Did you know?" He meant about the Kyuubi.

"I know a lot of things," the girl said in a smart voice.

"About the fox."

The girl actually turned around and stared at him.

"No _duh!"_ the kid suddenly snapped. "Why does _everyone_ think I'm stupid enough not to know the freakin' _giant-ass_ creature sharing my mind?! I'm not _that_ much of an idiot!"

She scowled furiously and went to the cupboard, grabbing some tea leaves and putting them in the hot tea. It started to steep, and Naruto met his eyes.

Genma didn't flinch at the violet eyes, which meant she was being influenced by the Kyuubi only enough to where her eyes became violet.

Together, they remained in the silence until the young girl poured the tea and set in front of Genma.

~"~

It was a long night. Naruto had fallen asleep on the couch, sitting up. She was breathing regularly, and when Kakashi walked in, Genma looked up from his cold tea.

"How is Iruka?" Genma asked, not knowing the chuunin well enough to ask but for Kakashi.

"Nothing major was hurt. Actually, it was healed up before we got to the hospital. The major damage was his blood loss."

A third voice met their ears.

 **"You can say thank you, you know. It wouldn't kill you, would it?"**

They both turned to see Naruto standing, eyes closed and head hanging, whisker marks thick.

"You're the Kyuubi, I assume?" Kakashi asked the Kyuubi.

A smirk appeared, and then the Kyuubi lifted her head. Red eyes opened slowly.

 **"No shit,"** the Kyuubi sighed, rolling Naruto's shoulders. **"Also, you hurt my kit, I'll kill you myself. Got it?"**

Kakashi paled.

 **"I'm kidding. Mostly. I'll just castrate you,"** the Kyuubi grinned.

Kakashi gulped. "You _and_ Naruto are terrifying."

The Kyuubi actually looked _surprised._

 **"My idiot is scary... FINALLY!"** the Kyuubi boomed, fistpumping. **"When I get outta this body I owe Naruto a punch in the stomach!"**

Kakashi facepalmed. "You're scaring this Konoha ninja. Who was the former guard of the Yondaime. Who you killed."

 **"No I didn't,"** the Kyuubi said, looking puzzled. **"His damn fuuinjutsu did. Sealed away half of me for his life. I hate him. But I also respect him. He was a fly. You are a spider, Hatake. My kit is a kit."** the Kyuubi nodded to himself. **"I'm going now. Have a nice day. Forget I said that."**

The girl's eyes turned a dull blue, and her knees buckled. Kakashi caught her.

"Are you sure she's -" Genma's words caught in his throat as Kakashi turned burning eyes to Genma.

"Kakashi?"

Both sets of eyes turned to Naruto, who was looking at Kakashi with sleepy blues.

"Is kaa-san gonna be okay?"

It took a minute for them to get who she was referring to.

"Yeah, gaki-chan. Iruka will be all right."

Naruto smiled. "'M glad."

She fell asleep.

~:~

Iruka smirked at the assembled class. Naruto entered, ignoring the glances he got as he did so. He sat next to Sasuke, then, for some reason, got up and started to glare at him as Sakura and Ino entered the room, as usual fighting among themselves.

Someone bumped into Naruto, causing him and -

Iruka's mind screeched to a halt. KI flowed off of him and in Sasuke's direction.

 _HOW DARE THAT UCHIHA STEAL HIS PRECIOUS NARUTO'S FIRST KISS!_

As the fangirls came in, Iruka slammed a book on his desk just as Sakura rose her fist to hit Naruto.

Silence.

"Sit. Down."

Everyone sat.

"Now," Iruka smiled. "Let's read the list of teams." He glared at the Uchiha, who shuddered at Iruka's sudden hostility. "Team 1..." He read on and on. Then he smirked as he reached his forever favorite student's team. "Team 7. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto slammed his head on the desk.

Iruka continued the list, then pretended to head out while really using a chameleon jutsu to blend in with his surroundings.

~"~

Kakashi stepped in the classroom. Naruto turned, looking at him with exasperation - and his jaw dropped and eyes bugged out.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Naruto bellowed, shocking his teammates. "WHY THE HELL ARE _YOU_ OUR SENSEI?!"

Kakashi smirked under his mask.

"Shut up, gaki-chan."

"But - But -" An enraged expression came onto his face. "IRUKA-SENSEI KNEW!"

"Of course he did!" Kakashi beamed. "Also, Uchiha, please refrain from kissing my daughter figure."

Both genin went green at the mention of the kiss.

And the rest? Well, the rest is pretty much history.


	2. The Reason Why Mizuki

The Reason Why Mizuki...

...Can't Get Out of Jail.

~:~

Mizuki didn't understand what made Iruka bring the demon child home. But he allowed it after getting all the answers why out, even if he still didn't like it. Blue eyes stared at him with mistrust and anger whenever he tried to do something nice to the child, like ruffle his hair or give her ramen.

He tried being nice - he really did. He didn't give her too horrible of grades when it came time for tests and homework, ignored him when he was being too rowdy... All in all he did what he could to be genuinely nice.

And yet, Iruka had stopped sleeping with him. At first, Mizuki never saw it as a problem as they did it less and less at night. Iruka would back down from a kiss, or he 'wasn't in the mood'. It happened more and more, until Mizuki's temper and need for Iruka pushed him to the breaking point.

He'd made sure Naruto's key to their apartment was too high to reach outside their door, and made sure she got late detention. Naruto never came over with late detention, as Naruto seemed to have a set curfew that she followed without delay.

He set up a romantic dinner with Iruka, who was distracted and thinking of lesson plans all through it. And when Mizuki gently steered Iruka into the room, taking his shirt off, Iruka smiled at him.

"Mizuki, not tonight."

Mizuki smiled at him patiently.

"Iruka, I need this. Ever since that kid's been coming over, you haven't really 'been in the mood'."

"I'm _not_ sleeping with you," Iruka snapped, startling Mizuki, who glared at Iruka with sudden hostility before ripping Iruka's shirt off. "Mizuki! Stop!"

~:~

Yugao usually steered Naruto home with a gentle tap that her chuunin instructors couldn't see when they were on guard. But this time Naruto batted her tap away and seemed quite distracted for some reason.

Then, as Naruto was walking home, Naruto stopped dead. The Kyuubi's chakra flared, and Naruto _growled._

Yugao flinched, pausing for a moment - did something happen in school today?

The eight-year old turned in the direction of her sensei and poofed into her male self, mouth set, eyes a violet. He looked quite grim for a child, and he started to run. Fast. He was molding chakra as he went, using it to amplify his running.

Yugao followed him, concern in her face.

Naruto jumped up for the almost hidden key hanging by the door, getting it on one silent jump.

Then he unlocked the door.

~:~

"Mizuki, please, stop!"

Mizuki shoved Iruka onto the bed and climbed on top of them. He grinned at Iruka darkly.

"This is the last time I take defiance from you, Iruka-kun."

Iruka's eyes shifted to the door, his eyes flicking back to it every few seconds.

"Nobody's coming, Iruka. I put little Naruto in detention, so sadly she'll be heading home. Nobody is coming here to save you."

Iruka smiled. "You forgot about him."

Mizuki frowned and turned slowly.

Demonic red eyes stared at him.

" _Get the hell away from him,"_ Uzumaki Naruto snarled, glaring at him. Mizuki slowly stood up, nude. Naruto kept staring into his eyes, and when he'd moved away from Iruka far enough, Naruto made his move.

Too fast for his eyes to track, Naruto stood before him, red eyes burning into his. Raising a single finger, Naruto _burned_ something into his skin.

Mizuki yelled in surprise and fear, and Iruka gasped in shock. Naruto had burned a heart shape with a slash in it into his skin.

"So you remember what you've done," the demon child snarled at him. "Now _get the hell out."_

Mizuki scampered.

~:~

Yugao sighed at Naruto staying in bed. She wasn't supposed to interfere, but she couldn't just watch the kid suffer.

She glanced around, spotting Inu sitting there in the tree, also watching Naruto.

Catching his eye, she moved over to him.

"I need to go do something. Think you can keep an eye on him?"

"You're not supposed to leave your post," Hatake said in a flat tone.

Yugao's left eyebrow twitched. "Everyone leaves this post. Usually to get her ramen. Now, _wait."_

She leaped off the branch. The Academy was at lunch, and if she was lucky...

She spotted the Academy instructor vacantly gazing out the window, and slipped in. He never moved.

She moved in front of him, waved her hand in front of his glassy eyes... Paused...

And slapped him.

The sensei jerked out of the funk he was in, staring at the cat-masked woman, who grabbed his ear.

"Do you hate Naruto?"

Iruka paused in his whining.

"No, why?"

"She's miserable and upset and thinks you hate her."

"You cheer her up."

"Not allowed to outside of training." Yugao paused. "Is this about what happened last night?"

Iruka froze. Yugao thought quickly.

"You know, I lost a sister in the Kyuubi attack." Yugao smiled in bitter remembrance. "The Kyuubi was angry, violent... And yet, my sister told me something before she went out to fight it. She said, 'There's always a reason someone does something, Yugao. Whether it be good or bad, all someone can do is accept the outcome'." Yugao closed her eyes. "And then she died; not by any unnatural causes, like the Kyuubi. She died of chakra exhaustion." A pause. "She's not the Kyuubi, and she's all torn up about what she did to your friend."

"Ex-boyfriend." Iruka sighed. "I have to finish class."

"Eh, I think your ex can handle the twerps. Let's go."

Yugao grabbed his hand, yanking him out the window as kids began to file in.

~:~

The Sandaime gazed calmly at the Elders, but inside he was seething. There was no way he could fire Mizuki for misconduct, not when all the evidence was leveled against the Uzumaki. She hadn't been to see him in a while. Usually she'd skip history with Iruka and come beg some money off of him for Ramen.

"Very well, I won't fire Mizuki." An outward lightbulb sprang up. "But I can't get rid of the child, either." He hid his smirk behind his folded hands.

The elders pursed their lips. They didn't like Naruto, _especially_ after the glitter prank last year.

The Sandaime decided to get up to visit Naruto.

~:~

Iruka knocked on the door, a bag of Ichiraku's in his hand.

Five minutes after, the door opened. Naruto looked at him with bloodshot eyes rimmed with red, indicating that she'd been crying.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto stared at him, then opened the door widely.

At the sight of it, he wanted to hurl. Words were splashed over the wall.

 _Monster. Demon._

They were mostly wallpapered, but several areas were already peeling.

"Naruto, I am sorry."

Naruto glanced at him. She grunted before moving to her room.

Iruka sighed and followed her as she hid under the covers in her bed.

Iruka sighed again and pinched his nose.

"Just let me sleep," she said in a muffled voice.

"Naruto, I'm _not mad._ Get out from under your covers." He paused. "Or no ramen for a week. I was going to reward you for what you did to Mizuki... But I guess Ichiraku's isn't important."

Naruto sniffled. Iruka knelt down at her bedside, gently pulling back the covers.

She looked away from him.

"Seriously. I broke up with Mizuki this morning." He ruffled her hair. "Now, get up and shower. You reek."

Naruto smiled a tiny bit.

~:~

The Sandaime smoked his pipe on a tree branch, smiling to himself. He turned and saw Kakashi staring at Iruka with curiosity.

"The teacher would make a good match for you." The Sandaime cackled in his head at the red hue Kakashi was sporting around his single visible eye.

~:~

Mizuki hated waiting.

But he couldn't implicate himself in anything other than good things. For that reason, he volunteered to help Iruka; he still had some hope that Iruka would come to his senses and come back to him.

That shattered when he saw Iruka being kissed senseless by another man.

Mizuki clenched his fist.

He waited after school, and Iruka smiled at him.

"Hello, Mizuki." Iruka's voice was cool.

"Iruka, why won't you come back to -" Mizuki felt a chill go down his spine. He turned to see Naruto standing there with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Iruka-sensei, Baka is waiting for us," he said, his eyes never leaving Mizuki's.

Mizuki swallowed.

~:~

And after he'd broken out of prison to do what Orochimaru had told him, he crushed his pathetic ex-girlfriend's heart, and he heard that Iruka, the new Hokage's aide, and Naruto were all following him, he knocked her out, then knocked the stupid kid out with a small drug.

Iruka's face was priceless when Mizuki revealed himself.

"Hey, Iruka-koi," Mizuki grinned. "How about we finish what we started?"

He took out a kunai.

Iruka, instead of looking panicked, instead took out a kunai himself.

"You know, I knew you couldn't resist."

Mizuki froze. "What?"

"You're an _idiot,_ Mizuki."

The demon brat's genin squad appeared, looking angry. Sasuke made Mizuki swallow as he charged up a jutsu that Kakashi had taught him.

"Allow me," Naruto's pissed voice said.

Mizuki dropped the kunai.

"Go ahead, Naruto. Just don't kill him," Hatake Kakashi said in a conversational way.

"This'll permanently disfigure him, that's for sure," Naruto said, a nasty smile appearing on her face as the Yondaime's jutsu swirled in her hand.

She slammed it in his gut. " _Rasengan!"_

Mizuki regretted it all as he stared at the sky. Tsunade appeared, having gotten rid of his cohorts, and the demon brat finally asked the question he was dreading.

"So, where's he going?"

"He's going to Hozuki-jo, the prison where most treasonous people go. He won't last a day there."

"Good." Naruto turned away.

And that is why Mizuki was never getting out of jail.

(Sadly, he did last a lot longer than Tsunade anticipated, but that's a totally different story.)


	3. The Reason Why Shisui

**The Reason Why Shisui...**

 **...Is So Invested in Naruto's Safety.**

 **Credit goes to: LegitBossNaruko (Guest) for suggesting this, and Elements1999 who helped me with the idea (because I seriously had no idea what to write to this until he offered this, and then it popped into my mind). Thank you both!**

 **(Also, if you want a specific 'reason why' one-shot, please, give me a little more detail. Just a tad. Like, 'the reason why Teuchi (just as an example) lets Naruto into his stand'. Some of the stories will not just focus on the title, maybe adding in a little anecdote that doesn't really pertain to that one-shot. Make sense? Hope so, cause it just barely makes sense in my head.)**

 **Also, next one is going to be another 'Reason Why Kakashi', but I promise it won't be a repeat.**

 **Argh.. ONE FINAL THING! I wrote this when I was tired... Well, that's when I do some of my best work, I guess. Even so - don't like? Don't read. Or read it anyway and leave a bad review.**

 **Either way... I don't care. Do what you want, okay~?**

 **(Obviously, I don't own Naruto. I do own any OCs that do appear. And yes, if it's not clear, I HATE Mizuki. I don't know why. I just do.)**

~:~

If there was one thing Shisui honestly hated in his village, it was the crowds. Too many people in one area freaked him out a little. He especially hated this night, but not because of what people thought; he hated tonight because he hated crowds. And the biggest crowds always flocked to the Kyuubi festival.

He disliked the drunken crowds and mobs that formed. The KPF were called, and Shisui had to volunteer his time - time he would much rather spend with his little sis. His adorable baby sis chuunin, who was doing ninja stuff at the young age of five.

He sighed minutely, grateful he was alone right then. If Itachi had been there, he'd be questioned on why he sighed. Itachi was perceptive, but he took the hero-worshipping a bit far. Shisui had to be the 'cool, smiley Uchiha' in front of a lot of people; sure, ordinarily he was happy, but it was moments like these that reset him back to 'smiley'.

"What are you doing?" a female, and very afraid, voice said in an alleyway nearby.

Shisui peered into the alleyway, and what he saw made him confused, then boiling mad.

The young kid the Uchiha clan avoided contact with specifically because of who and what she was was cowering in fear of an older man.

Everything sharpened, etching it into his memory with painful clarity.

Disgusting, how far men would go to demean someone they thought lower than them.

He pushed the man off of the child, standing in front of her. Half her dress was ripped, and the poor child was crying a little.

He would look this man's name up in the KPF database later; right then he had a terrified five-year-old to look after.

"You all right?" he asked her, mentally hitting himself.

She shook her head.

"Don' think so," she admitted in a tiny voice.

Shisui picked her up. "Come on. I have a little sister; I bet she'll be glad to share a few things with you."

The kid sniffed a little. Shisui threw one last disgusted look at the ninja.

~:~

The clothes were a bit big on her, but they worked. As soon as his mother entered the room, her gaze flicked to Shisui and the child. Shisui glared at her, _daring_ her to say something.

His mother didn't, opting to smile and bend down to the blonde's height.

"Hey, little one," Uchiha Misaki said in a gentle voice. "I'm Misaki. Are you hungry? I'm making _onigiri."_

Naruto nodded, and within a second, Naruto had _changed._ 'She' was now a 'he', and Misaki's and Shisui's eyebrows both flew up. Naruto tucked into himself in an ashamed way.

Shisui coughed. "When's Saki-chan getting home?"

"Saki's your sister?" Naruto asked, shocking them by knowing Saki.

"Er..." Shisui bit his lip, then smiled. He bent down to the kid's level, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's a secret, okay? Pretend I'm just a cousin of hers." He nodded. "Can you do that?"

Naruto nodded a little. "I - I think I can."

~:~

Shisui was quiet. Too quiet, in Itachi's opinion.

Itachi followed his partner to the Ninja database. Computers, shipped by Kaminari no Kuni, sat in rows. The KPF had to exercise extreme control over their chakra to an insane degree to be able to use any of them. Shisui had some of the best control over his chakra.

The ninja database was constantly being updated with current pictures and statuses, but it wasn't being done then. It confused Itachi why Shisui was looking through the Chuunin; perhaps some chuunin had caught his eye and he wanted to know their -?

Shisui's eyes promised _murder._ Red glinted. Okay, so scratch that 'caught his eye in a good way' and go straight to 'put on Shisui's shit list'. Shisui clicked on 'listed offenses' and slammed his fist down.

"Without any evidence I can't tell the Hokage," Shisui muttered, dismayed. "And I can't exactly tell Fugaku-sama unless the clan's involved. _Kuso!"_

"Shisui, what's -"

" _Not now, Itachi!"_

Shisui didn't snap at him, usually.

Shisui closed his eyes briefly.

"Sorry, Itachi. Guess I'm a little upset over what happened a couple days ago." Shisui sighed and stood. "Come on, I don't need this now."

~:~

"I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself with a sword," Shisui announced to Naruto. Naruto glanced up at Shisui shyly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I've seen what they've tried to do to you, and I'm done with sitting on the sidelines," Shisui said truthfully.

He had an agreement with the Kyuubi: He would teach her in return for the Kyuubi keeping the memory of Mizuki _\- the fucking bastard Shisui would kill one day -_ locked deep in Naruto's consciousness.

Plus, tensions between the Uchiha and the village were getting to an all-time high, and Shisui didn't want Naruto to be caught in the middle of it, or defenseless.

He didn't care that she was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

She was a child that needed help, and he would no longer ignore the silent screams she was sending.

She was like Saki, Shisui realized. Naruto was like another little sister.

He supposed that's why he was so invested in her safety.

~:~:~:~:~

Tsunade nodded her head and flicked her fingers at Team Seven, dismissing them. All of Mizuki's misdeeds were being cataloged by Shizune, with a pretty large (fake) charge of treason against the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni attached.

 _One count of attempted rape won't do it, especially against Iruka. He's not a minor, and of course, some ninja do have that mindset of a civilian._ Tsunade looked up, and did a double take. Naruto stood there, but it wasn't her. Ruby red eyes with a black slit in the middle regarded her silently, indicating who - or what - it was staring at her.

"Kyuubi." Shizune flinched and Tonton stilled.

Indecision was written all over the face of the Uzumaki child, even if the Kyuubi hadn't intended it.

 **"Add attempted rape of a minor to his crimes,"** the bijuu said finally. **"If it wasn't for that overprotective Uchiha genius, there wouldn't have been a 'ninja Naruto' standing here."**

"Which genius?" Tsunade asked absently; there were two she knew of offhand.

 **"The one that died before the rest of his clan did."**

Blinking, she watched the Kyuubi vanish before her eyes and tried to understand what he meant by -

A red film took over Tsunade's sight.

"T-Tsunade-sama?"

" _Prepare a letter for the head of Hozuki-jo,"_ Tsunade _snarled._ "I'll be back within the week."

~:~

Inoichi was rather confused as to why he was there. Why go through a random chuunin's mind?

But then, the Hokage had lost her temper - and that was a feat in itself. So he infiltrated the prisoner's mind, going through thousands of memories - and he found it.

"Ah - Hokage-sama, I found what you were looking for." The Yamanaka swallowed. "He attempted the rape of Uzumaki Naruto when she had just turned five years old," Inoichi finished, feeling an urge to throw up. While the man had been drunk - a _five year old?!_ FIVE. FIVE!

Tsunade nodded. "Very well, you may leave. Send for the second-best medic you can find. Third-best, considering that Shizune is under my authority and I'd prefer her not to see what I'm going to make happen to this fool."

Mizuki's eyes widened.

Tsunade's eyes glittered with absolute hatred, and Inoichi knew that this man would live his natural life in this place.

But it would be a life full of pain and torture.

Not that Inoichi cared. He thought it was fitting.

~:~

(Shisui died, yes. But Saki lived on, and she'd protect Naruto for her big brother.)


	4. The Reason Why Kakashi 2

The Reason Why Kakashi ...

...Secretly hates a certain Uchiha pupil of his. And it's all Mizuki's fault.

~:~

There was a FINE line between hate and extreme dislike. Kakashi had been forced into teaching the damn Uchiha because he was the last Uchiha, and therefore the last with the potential to use the Sharingan, of which there was one left. His own.

Or so he was thinking. Whenever he mentioned _his_ Sharingan as being the last in the village, there was always a flicker of _something_ in his favorite pupil's eyes.

Ah, well, it didn't really matter.

Right now, he and his fellow senseis were watching the rookies eat and chat, Naruto and Kiba arguing. Sasuke was, as per usual, glaring, his two fangirls watching him. Neji was simply eating and watching the others around him, Lee trying to say something to Sakura, Tenten interjecting a word here or there in Kiba's and Naruto's friendly argument. Hinata was watching Naruto in a stalkerish way.

"Your Uchiha still hasn't gotten over the incident," Asuma commented.

Kakashi grimaced. "I'm sure with all the teachers mentioning it, and him _living where his parents were killed_ by his own _brother_ that he'll _never_ get over it. I wasn't that big of a downer when _I_ was his age, was I?"

He was sure someone had snapped him out of it, hadn't they?

"You were worse when you were younger," Gai replied in an inside voice. Kakashi winced. "But after... Well. You were much nicer when you were Sasuke's age, if in a depression."

Kakashi stared at Gai. "You don't have to tiptoe around _that_ subject anymore. I know Obito's dead." His entire team was, but that didn't mean he had to _tiptoe around him._ He was twenty-seven, not eleven.

Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai all stared at him.

With a start, Kakashi realized that he hadn't spoken Obito's name since his death. Rin had given the mission report.

"Oh, well... I guess that chuunin teacher's doing you some good," Kurenai said with a grin.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. Iruka- _koi_ was the best boyfriend anyone could ask for.

"Yeah, and his slightly-adopted child." Kakashi took a glance at Naruto. She'd turned into a him, which still struck the other teachers as 'odd'. Not Kakashi. "You should've seen Iruka's bedroom when Iruka came out of the hospital." Kakashi snickered as he remembered it. Naruto had painted Iruka's bedroom a horrifying pink, decorated it with cutout images of Kakashi's porn magazines, and Kakashi had slept on the couch for a week while Iruka and Naruto tore down the images and repainted it a more subdued blue. Hilarious at first, but then he hadn't gotten any dolphin cuddles.

He would never admit it to anyone, either. Well, he could to Iruka and Naruto, but not anyone else.

Of course, he had a sneaking suspicion the Sandaime knew... But the Sandaime was, like, the guy who knew what went on in the village. He knew _everything._

"Was it pink and covered with -" Gai slammed his mouth shut as Kakashi glared at him. How Gai knew, Kakashi did _not_ want to know.

"How do you know where I live?" Kakashi asked, seizing that - and instantly sighing as he knew the answer. Honestly, Genma just couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he?

Naruto appeared next to him. "Kaka-sensei, I have my lessons with Gekkou-sensei. Mind if I leave?"

Kakashi lazily gestured for him to go. Naruto left.

"I'm going training," Sasuke said, getting up and leaving without permission.

Kakashi's eye twitched.

"Naruto has training with an actual jounin, Sasuke-chibi. Sit, and finish." Kakashi's tone brooked no argument, his gray eye glinting almost angrily. Sasuke had been trying to follow Naruto for the past week, and Naruto had commented at dinner last night about it. Kakashi wouldn't put up with it.

"Why not let him go? Kurenai asked Kakashi.

Kakashi turned to his fellow jounin.

"He's been following Naruto for the past week for some reason."

"If she's being trained by a jounin -" Kakashi shook his head.

"Naruto knew a great swordsman, and he taught her quite a bit. What Hayate is teaching her would kill Sasuke," Kakashi said flatly. "I participated in one of her training sessions. I'm _still_ sore from it, and it was two _months_ ago."

"She was still in the Academy then..." Kurenai frowned. "Are you sure you should be letting her learn?"

Kakashi shrugged. "The Sandaime cleared it."

"Sensei, where's Sasuke-kun?" Ino frowned.

Kakashi stood up, his eye angry.

"That insolent little brat!"

He used a _shunshin._

~:~

Watching above an alley, he watched Sasuke talk with Naruto, who shook her head impatiently. Then Sasuke pushed forward, leaning forward and kissing her - Naruto shoved him off.

"I said _no!_ Just - _stop,_ okay? I don't like you like that!"

"But Mizuki-sensei said -"

"Mizuki is a _traitor,_ Sasuke!" Naruto looked quite upset.

Iruka appeared next to him. Kakashi ignored that for the time being.

"But you'd help me restart my clan!" Sasuke pulled her in for another kiss -

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kakashi said, walking off the side of the building and landing easily. Two story drop? Easy for a ninja. Plus, it was cool. Kakashi smiled at Sasuke. "Better run, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke did.

Naruto looked confused and a little upset. "Did I do something wrong, sensei?" she asked Kakashi, who shook his head.

"No, kiddo! But let me ask you something. What do you say we do a little 'Uchiha-hunting'?"

~:~

Sasuke screamed as he ran as fast as he could. People were chasing him! _Him,_ the last Uchiha! How dare they!

He ran towards the Uchiha district - but no matter how far he ran, they always seemed to catch up, and the district never seemed to get any closer.

He kept running, his legs aching.

~:~

"...are you _sure_ putting the Uchiha in such a _genjutsu_ is necessary, Kakashi?"

"Sandaime-sama, he _kissed_ Naruto _forcefully._ Excuse _me_ if I'm a _LOT_ upset. It will wear off in another five hours, and then you can deal with the brat's whining and crying about how I'm a terrible sensei."

"...ten hours and then you stop. Deal?"

"I knew you'd see it my way."

"Don't push it."

~:~:~:~:~

 **Short, I know. But I really couldn't think of anything... Any other requests?**


	5. The Reason Why Kagome

The Reason Why...

...Kagome appeared, and how she became Uzumaki Kanna's godmother.

 _Kagome was washing in a stream when her senses tingled._

 _Both of her senses. Her 'pervert' sense and her 'demon' sense._

 _(Her pervert sense always flared in Miroku's presence, so she was well used to that. But with her demon senses tingling, it was either Inuyasha or someone else.)_

 _She waded over to her clothes, which hid her bow and arrows, and hurriedly dressed. After she was done, she drew an arrow out of her quiver and loosely fit it as she expanded her senses, trying to pinpoint exactly where the demon was._

 _If it was Inuyasha, a warning shot would do._

 _She found the demon, and it did not have Inuyasha's unique youkai. She aimed a near it, and fired without using her miko powers._

 _There was a loud swear. The demon's youkai vanished._

 _She turned, frowning - only to stop and stare at the demon glaring at her._

 _Old -_ _very_ _old - red eyes stared at her; matching red hair pulled up in a ponytail completed his look of arrogant bastard; at least he_ _showed_ _how he felt rather than acted like Sesshoumaru. Or like an idiot such as Inuyasha._

 _"Why did you shoot at me, woman?"_

 _At least he didn't call her_ _wench._

 _"You were spying on me bathing, that's why," Kagome said, glaring at him. "Be glad I didn't purify you."_

 _Amusement flashed on his face. "You're a Miko. I see now. You would not have been able to purify me, anyway."_

 _He said it with arrogance, but Kagome doubted he was lying. Still, she backed up, her feet getting soaked almost immediately._

 _"Kagome!"_

 _The demon scowled, vanishing._

 _Like, completely vanishing._

 _Inuyasha barreled into the clearing._

 _"Finally, you're done! Come on."_

 _He was ready to drag her, but Kagome gave him the most deadly glare she could._

 _Wisely, he thought better of it._

 _~:~_

 _Taking a break, the demon the furthest thing from her mind, Kagome was walking with her friends in her present time; she spotted the redheaded man again, walking to her school entrance with purpose._

 _She paused, indecision warring within her._

 _"Hey, Kagome! You coming?"_

 _She was already distant with her few friends as it was._

 _"Yes," she called, walking forward._

 _Her eyes absentmindedly passed over the crowd as she followed her friends, and she saw..._

 _...herself._

 _Eyes met eyes; both Kagomes stared at each other for the fraction of a second._

 _Kagome inwardly flinched at her own eyes as she looked forward and forced a chuckle as everyone else laughed, her mind racing._

 _"Kagome!"_

 _Her own voice entreated her to look at her copy._

 _But she didn't want to meet those eyes filled with anger and rage and_ _knowledge._

 _~"~_

 _When she reached her home, exhausted and dragging her feet, her mother was standing there with a sad smile on her face._

 _"Get some rest," she ordered her daughter quietly. "Inuyasha is going to be by in the morning, yes?"_

 _Kagome nodded gratefully._

 _Her mother cooked her favorite food for dinner, packed her bag. Lightly; no junk food, with a few pictures. Kagome trusted her mother, after all._

 _~:~_

 _"- I love Kikyo," Inuyasha finished. Kikyo blinked at Inuyasha._

 _"I know that already," Kagome said flatly. "I just want to know if she's willing to finally defeat Naraku." Naraku, the bane of her existence. Of all their existence._

 _"We're all here to do that," Kikyo said coolly._

 _And wasn't that a miracle? The scattered remnants of the demon clans had rallied with Kagome - some who she knew and had battled, others she had known were friendly._

 _The wolf demons had rallied the neko clans, and so on._

 _And then the kitsune clan had arrived, the redheaded demon Kagome had met at the lake at their head, his red, red eyes locked on hers._

 _She shivered to herself._

 _"Shall we devise a battle plan, miko?" Sesshomaru questioned, settling down. At his words, the demon leaders appeared, ready for battle._

 _Shippo curled himself up against Kagome with a shiver as the redheaded male came close to Kagome._

 _"Kurama, restrain yourself," the leader of the nekos said, her voice a whip._

 _"Matatabi, you're so... Uptight. You need to get some sex." Kagome's face flared up, and Kurama smirked at her._

 _"Restrain yourself from attempting to have sex with the miko until the battle is over, Kurama," rumbled the leader of the turtles. His skin was pigmented green, and he seemed to walk a bit slower than the others._

 _According to Kouga, Isobu was among the fastest of the demons, including himself when he had the speed._

 _Also according to Kouga, none of the demon leaders would fight Naraku._

 _Well - none of the nine demon leaders._

 _"Perhaps later, Miko?" Kurama asked, leering at her._

 _Kagome glared at him._

 _"Not on your life!" Inuyasha proclaimed, glaring at Kurama. "She's not -"_

 _"Sesshomaru -"_

 _"_ _Sit, boy!"_

 _Inuyasha paled, but he was shoved into the dirt facefirst._

 _Kagome massaged her forehead. "We'll begin by pretending it's just my group and Sesshomaru," she began, looking over Naraku's castle. "Kouga will keep Kagura busy..."_

 _All through the briefing, she could feel Kurama's stare acutely._

 _~:~_

 _Kagome winced as she patched her wound up. Naraku had seemed to expect them; how, she was sure Kanna had shown him. Kanna - the child with the mirror._

 _As she bandaged her arm, Kurama appeared, wrapping her arm up._

 _"I will help. Sesshomaru has agreed to my price."_

 _"What price is that?" Kagome demanded, suddenly afraid._

 _Kurama smiled at her._

 _"You'll find out soon enough."_

 _~:~_

Kagome stared at nothing in particular as she relived the past. How Sesshomaru had practically given her up, the last few times she'd seen her mother and tried to warn herself away... How Sesshomaru had _lied_ to her.

Naruto exited her bathroom. Kagome had grown quite fond of the youngest unofficial member of their demon clan; so much so she invited her to this official gathering.

Well, _mostly._ As the jinchuuriki of Kurama, Naruto _did_ have sway in the demon world. Even more so now that she was a hanyou like Kagome.

Even though she had responsibilities in the human world, Kagome wanted to put Sesshomaru in his place for the final time.

"Ready?" Kagome asked politely.

"Yes," Naruto said, looking at ease. She switched genders, a peculiarity Kagome knew was hers and hers alone.

Kurama could switch genders, but it was rare that he chose to do so.

Imaris appeared, his dark eyes staring at his mother and fellow clan member. Kikiya was the next to appear, the hundred-year-old demon still a brash moron.

"I hate you," she greeted Naruto with a sour look. "But I'll carry you - waaaiiit a minute, you're a _dude?_ Wanna ba-"

Naruto jumped back. "No. _No._ Sorry, but _no._ Kinda married." He showed his ring off. Kagome looked at her bared finger with a hint of sadness.

The four walked out. In the Summon Realm, it was night; this meeting was secret.

They walked to the cave where the meeting was.

Two dog demons stood out, and Kikiya and Imaris were sent there.

This was between Kagome, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Kurama.

Her tightly coiled anger coiled in her gut.

"Why did you call this meeting?" questioned Sesshomaru. "We have the next Demon Summit to contend with."

"My disagreement with you could not wait another three hundred years." Kagome glared at him. "You used me to get Kurama on our side then."

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru, shocked.

"I _told you that wasn't a good idea!"_

"And it's not a wonder he didn't listen," Kagome replied coolly. Kagome at least _liked_ Inuyasha. Aversion to hanyous was not in her personality description, though she had not been speaking to Inuyasha with kindness since she became a demon.

Kikyo was long dead, being only a half-life. Inuyasha had moped, but in the end loved Kagura the wind demon; Kagura had surprisingly returned his affections after Sesshomaru told her flatly he didn't love her.

"If you do anything like that again, Sesshomaru, I will call hell upon you." Kagome's long-thought dead miko powers swirled up. "I will purify your ass if you try some shit like that again."

Sasshomaru looked unimpressed. "Will you not keep a lid on your wench?" he questioned the male kitsune in the room.

Naruto leaned back against the wall.

"Nope." He grinned at them. "Kurama really enjoys seeing Kagome all fired up. Address all your concerns to Kagome; he's busy."

"Soare you a hanyou now?" Inuyasha asked out of nowhere. "As well as, you know. A demon holder."

"Yep," Naruto nodded, switching genders and becoming a she. "I must say, having this ability again is quite... _Intoxicating."_

"You're a woman, too?" Inuyasha looked excited by the prospect. "My mate and I, Kagura, were looking for a three-"

"SIT, BOY!"

Kagome clapped a hand over her mouth as Inuyasha was shoved into the dirt.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha whined.

Kagome couldn't control the laughter that escaped her at his predicament.

Naruto looked horrified. "I'm mated _and_ married," the woman informed the other half-demon. "Why does _everyone_ proposition me?" She buried her head in her hands, her face as red as ever.

"Because you're hot as a guy, and amazingly beautiful for a teenager," Kagome replied, glancing at the seventeen-year-old's body.

"I'm officially twenty-seven!" the woman snapped, taking her hands off of her face. "Unofficially, I'm..." she flushed again. "I'm thirty-seven."

Kagome tilted her head. "I am confused."

"You know I... Died." Kagome nodded. "Well, I was used as an Edo Tensei for ten years. I turned twenty-seven ten years ago, technically, but... The sun goddess Amaterasu gave me life again, giving me breath as a seventeen-year-old, the age I died at."

There was a stunned silence in the room.

"Apologies," Kagome said, her eyes wide.

"Don't," Naruto smiled. "I'm fine now."

"That is impossible," Sesshomaru said.

"Yes, well, two children and another on the way says an entirely different story," Naruto snapped at him, then turned to Kagome. "I was wondering if you wanted to be godmother. Makes more sense to me, I think."

Kagome _smiled._ "Of course! Yes!" She hugged the young hanyou with happiness.

Inuyasha turned to Sesshomaru.

"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you," Inuyasha said to him before joining the hug.

Not a minute later, Kagome's yell echoed through the cave.

 _"Sit, boy!"_

Apparently he was a pervert now.

"What will you name them?" Kagome asked.

Naruto smiled. "Kurama said it's a girl again, but both Neji and I are thinking of naming her Kanna."

Kagome's eyes widened. Kanna the mirror girl had died in that final battle.

"Beautiful name," she whispered after a moment.


	6. The Reason Why Naruto

The Reason Why Naruto…

…Went to Prison, and was henceforth banned from taking undercover missions by her husband.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Naruto scowled at Aquarius, who smiled in her usual unflappable way.

"No," Aquarius agreed, "but you didn't want to send someone expendable. Plus, you know. Seal mistress."

"But – _labeling yourself as a criminal is not a good idea!_ I won't be able to use _your_ unique water-skills – oh my _gods_ you're related to the Nidaime Hokage!" Naruto's revelation made Aquarius sweatdrop.

"It took you fifteen years to figure that out?!"

"Ugh, I'm _sorry_ I just had another kid!"

"Then stop having so many children, they're killing your brain cells!"

"My brain cells have nothing to do with this!" Naruto turned her eyes to Neji, who blinked at her pleading face. "Neji-koi, tell her she's batshit crazy!"

The stoic Hyuuga-Uzumaki gave her a deadpan look.

"Everyone on this island is crazy," he said serenely, then going back to his book.

Naruto screamed and pulled at her hair.

"I'm certain you could pull of Aquarius' image. I heard that the person in charge used a seal that doesn't allow for chakra being used, anyway."

He turned the page, blinking as he looked up to his demonic-looking wife and said in that airy, unphased voice of his, "Oh? You didn't know?"

Nobody in Uzushio bat an eyelash as a roar was heard, unless they were foreigners.

~:~

"Sayan Aquarius." Mui stared down his nose at the woman who looked rather grumpy and not declaring her innocence. Charges of treason had been filed by the Kage _and_ Queen of Uzushio. "Strip."

He found no satisfaction in strip-searching the woman; once he decided that she had no weapons, he touched her heart-point, and the seal burned itself onto her skin.

She said nothing, only stared at him in a dead-ish way.

~:~

Naruto walked through the prison yard, stopping at a pillar. Her informant was on the other side of that pillar.

"Aquarius… So the queen _did_ send someone."

"No," Naruto denied. "I could not ignore a threat when I hear about it."

Her ears picked up a familiar voice, but she ignored it for the sake of the woman behind her.

"Your _majesty?!"_ choked the woman.

Naruto hissed. "Oh, _sure,_ announce to the entire world I'm here, _why don't you?"_

"Gomen!" Her informant swallowed. "They haven't gotten any further."

Naruto hummed. "You neglected to mention _why_ it was so urgent. It's why I came to you in person."

Her informant swallowed again.

"Have you ever heard of the Box of Paradise?"

Something cold slithered down the queen's body.

~:~

The queen closed her eyes, connecting with one of her other selves.

 _Tell Neji that I'm dealing with the Box of Paradise._

Her eyes opened when guards approached her cell.

"So… You apparently had the Queen of Uzushio's ear. Was she good in bed?" leered one of the guards.

Aquarius disliked people talking about her Queen in such a way… Plus, they'd arranged it with the current Hokage, Konohamaru, that apparently Aquarius had tried to kill _him,_ not Naruto.

The guards were on their knees, gasping.

"Nobody speaks of my Queen as such." She leaned back.

~:~

Another day, no new information.

So she settled against a pillar and feigned sleep – and then she heard a voice.

"- and Mui-sama said I'd be allowed out if I stayed on good behavior –"

Her entire laconic posture stiffened as she jolted and stared at the man walking by her, unaware of who she really was.

Naruto stared at him with a mask of utter, _burning_ hatred on her face, a mask that made even the guards pause in terror.

Everyone who noticed stayed away.

Her face changed to one similar to one hunting prey.

"Oh?" she asked, darting in front of the older, frailer Mizuki. "Mui-sama said that? Really?"

Mizuki's gaze turned hungry. "Oh, yes, pretty one," he said.

Naruto forced herself to blush a bit, ducking her head.

"Maybe… I could speed things along?" she asked tentatively.

Even if this was going to hurt her, she'll be damned if she would let him exist after her stay here.

Mizuki opened his mouth, but then the whistle blowed.

He smirked, bowed, and turned away.

His companions were the only ones to notice the intense hatred on the woman's face as she glared at Mizuki.

~:~

"So that's what the fuss is all about?" Naruto wondered aloud, her voice disappointed as the weird creature exploded from the Box of Paradise after nearly killing Mui. She withdrew her sword, her blood canceling out the seal.

Her people all assembled, showing no fear to the monster as it was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer might of the Uzumaki.

Unneeded, Naruto walked into the prison itself.

~:~

Mizuki heard fearful mutters as dust from falling bricks obscured his vision.

When it cleared, his cell was wide open.

There was no way in hell he was staying here!

He ran out, running towards the entrance – before stopping.

A woman stood there, her sword on fire. Some of the corrupt guards and his allies were running out the door, the dead bodies behind her indicating she'd _let_ the others go for some reason.

An uneasy feeling began to settle in his blood.

She turned.

He gaped.

" _You!"_

Uzumaki Naruto stared at him, her aquamarine eyes hard.

"I imagined this meeting for a while." Her voice was silky. "I never planned on letting you live, Mizuki."

A wave of her hand and the bodies were sealed into the ground. She could easily seal him – but he understood. She wanted to make him _suffer._

Fact was, Mizuki was an idiot, and he though he could take advantage of that.

"So…" She started to walk, her sword turning to ordinary metal. "Let's end this, once and for all."

He screamed and ran, thinking she would take the civilian way.

She didn't run after him.

He turned a corner, and she was there, smirking.

He ran more.

He turned, and ran straight into her sword.

"You're an idiot."

 _Dead._

~:~

Nobody mentioned the body she brought back.

"Konoha traitor, died trying to escape." Her shadowed eyes spoke another story.

~:~

"I henceforth forbid you from taking undercover missions!" Neji proclaimed. "You _suck_ at them! Most people _know_ it's you even when you play the part of someone else!"

"Neji, you should know I don't take orders from anyone." Neji scowled. "But I promise to be more careful, sweetie."

She kissed her husband.

"EW!" Kanna, their youngest, covered her eyes.

"Oh, right." Naruto picked her youngest up. "How's Daddy's favorite girl?"

Kanna, an exact copy of her father, with one mark across each of her cheeks to indicate her lineage, grinned with happiness.

"Good!"

Naruto smiled. "Good." She pulled a scroll towards her, and asked her daughter a simple question. "So what do you think of this seal?"

(Little Kanna would one day be the best seal-mistress apart from her eldest sister and her mother.)


	7. The Reason Why Kagura

The Reason Why Kagura…

…Fully and Utterly Respects her Mother's Wishes Now

"I said _no."_

Her mother's usual easygoing self stared at her daughter.

"I am able to control seals and use the Power of the Uzumaki!" Kagura, at twenty-three, had never been allowed to leave the island. Now, she had a chance. "Father –" She looked beseechingly at her father, who looked old, compared to her mother's seeming eternal youth. "Please, Father. I wish to go to Konoha with the others – this Uzumaki who has been causing trouble –"

"It is not a matter for you to deal with," her mother interrupted. "You should not use the Power bestowed unto us Uzumaki Queens as the sole source of your power, Kagura."

"Fine," Kagura spat, whirling around. "I hope you die," she added spitefully.

She swore she heard her mother say _I already have._

~:~

Kagura viewed Konoha as a welcome escape. Evading her parents' guards had been easy, using the Power inherent in all Queens – the power to order _any_ Uzumaki around.

The small group of Kumo-nin was so large they never even noticed the addition to the group.

The gates to Konoha met her gaze, and her heart pounded. She left the group of fools and came around as herself.

…it was underwhelming.

How had her mother grown up in this cluttered mess of a village?

(Kagura conveniently forgot that her island was as, if not more, cramped than this village.)

Ninja jumped around. As a visiting ninja, Kagura would have had to go straight to the Hokage, but as she was an Uzumaki all she needed to do was provide genuine material that she was the princess of Uzushio.

Even so, she went directly to the Hokage.

Sarutobi Konohamaru looked to be about five, maybe six years, younger than her father.

"I am Uzumaki Kagura," she said without preamble, raising her head haughtily. "I request an audience with the prisoner."

He stared at her for a moment.

"Well…" he drawled, "you're certainly her daughter." He set his elbow on his desk. "Permission –"

Kagura was opening her mouth to give her thanks.

"-denied."

"Thank you – what?!"

Konohamaru stared at her. "I know she didn't send you. She sent Aquarius-san."

Kagura clenched her fists. "I am the monarchy of the Uzumaki –"

"No, you're just her daughter," Konohamaru said steadily. "I know you weren't so bratty when you were a child, I don't understand where you got it in your head that you're all _that."_

Kagura growled. Instead of a threatening one like her mother's, it came out as a groan of frustration.

She whirled out.

~:~

"Yo! Brat!"

A slightly familiar voice met her ears. Kagura turned, her eyes flashing.

Unfortunately, it didn't have the same effect as her mother's.

"I know for a fact that your mother didn't raise you like that," the woman said, her Sharingan eyes morphing, making Kagura remember the woman who occasionally came by.

"My _mother_ is a queen, and I would tell you to show me the same respect you show my mother," Kagura replied coldly.

"…read a book," Uchiha Saki said. "Or better yet, read your mother's favorite book."

Kagura opened her mouth in confusion to ask what her mother's favorite book was.

But Saki had vanished.

~:~

Kagura was frightened. After leaving Konoha she'd been accosted by bandits, and her sealing power wasn't working.

How had her mother fared?

 _Can't believe this is the_ hero's _daughter._

Hero… That rang a distant bell in her head.

She sat there for a moment, thinking.

And then a question popped up.

The Uzumaki in Konoha had attempted, without provocation, to kill ninja in Hi no Kuni land. All the soldiers loyal to her had never been given a command unless in dire circumstances. Her mother used the Seal-power so often it was second nature, but she didn't order anyone with her own ability to _do_ things – if she gave them an order it was an order _without_ the Power.

But… Why hadn't her mother Ordered Kagura to stay?

And why couldn't she have Ordered her troops to stay loyal to her?

~:~

When Kagura opened her eyes again after being drugged, she was tied to a stump.

Her mother stood there, all alone and looking tiny compared to everyone in the clearing.

"Who're you?" the leader asked, looking surprised. "Some brat who –"

"You're dead," Uzumaki Naruto interrupted, her voice pleasant. She started walking, untying the sash that held up all her ceremonial kimonos.

Now, Kagura had never seen a slaughter quite like this – she'd seen some people get killed, all from the shelter of her home.

But… As soon as her mother untied her sash and dropped her clothes, it was suddenly obvious _why_ she wore so many layers with a sash.

She was hiding a literal sword sheathed across her back, low enough to where she could hide it but high enough to grab it.

Kagura watched her mother, with a face like stone, mercilessly kill the people who had kidnapped her daughter.

~:~

Kagura swallowed as asked a question.

"Mother, why don't you ever use the Power on any other Uzumaki?"

Her mother blinked. "Because it's not right."

Kagura frowned. "Why not?"

Her siblings were watching them with keen eyes.

Naruto leaned forward.

"Because controlling the actions of others is a cowardly move. I admit to using the Power when I was younger, before I died, but that was to order them to do things they _wanted."_ Naruto paused. "You ask this because you wonder if I have ever used it to enforce loyalty on my subjects or army." She took a drink. "Nope."

"Why not? You could order the man in Konoha to stop his bad ways." Kagura didn't really understand.

Neji hummed. "You really could."

"I could." Naruto nodded. "Kagura. I'm going to use my power on you." Everyone looked at her, even Neji, who furrowed his brows. Naruto looked to Neji. "Do you trust me?"

Neji nodded. "Yep."

Naruto put her chin on her folded hands. "Kagura, kill your father." Power made her words reverberate in the air.

There was a silence.

Kagura fought against it as she stood. There was a certain detachment, like she couldn't feel a thing.

Neji sat there.

"Kagura, stop."

Inches from her father's neck, she stopped.

"You are released."

Kaguya felt control return to her.

"Do you know how that _feels?"_ she yelled at her mother.

"Like you can't feel a single thing," her mother answered, voice quiet. "Like you're screaming on the inside, begging for it to _stop._ Yes, I sure as hell _do_ know."

"But – I can't control you, you're immune," Kagura said, staggering back. She felt ashamed to admit she had tried it on her mother.

Naruto inclined her head. "Yep. I suppose holding the Queen title makes that fact obvious, sweetheart. I know how it feels because that's how I felt for _ten years._ I was seventeen."

Her father was fifty-eight years old.

Her mother was forty-seven.

"I was an Edo Tensei." Naruto shook her head even as Kagura stared at her mother in shock. "I thought we covered this when you were younger! Like, three!"

"Babe, that was twenty years ago," her father reminded her.

"How are you so calm?! She just ordered me to kill you!" Kagura yelled.

"She was ordered to kill my entire clan, tried to kill me," Neji shrugged. "Apparently she had to have a second go at it."

"My point is," Naruto said, regaining Kagura's attention, "those who have power must shield the ones that do not have the power from others that do." Naruto leaned back in her seat. "If I had wanted to, I could have razed Konoha to the ground when I became Queen. I rallied my people. I could have _easily_ ordered them to martyr themselves just to give _myself_ the satisfaction of destroying the village I did not like." Naruto shook her head. "And I didn't. I tried to use my Power for the greater good. I worded my Orders vaguely enough so _they_ were mostly in charge." Naruto stared at her daughter intensely. "Here's a riddle. A girl was called weak, shunned, and pretty much shunned from her clan. Her cousin was better, superior in every way. The girl loved another girl. During an exam, the clan girl fought her hardest against the superior cousin; the girl the clan girl loved cheered her on and the clan girl got up, over and over. Even bloody and with no way to win, she kept going. Who won, and who was humiliated?"

Kagura was starting to fit pieces together.

"The clan boy, and the clan girl."

"Wrong." Kagura frowned. "The clan boy won… _and_ was humiliated."

"Yeah, that was true," her father said, depression lines appearing. "I really shouldn't have hurt Hinata."

"In the final test," her mother said, going back into story mode, "the boy fought the dead last. Who won that?"

"Father did! I've seen the records, he won every fight!" Kagura knew her father's history, and her mother's. Her father had won every battle since –

"Wrong again, sweetie." Naruto grinned. " _I_ was the dead last. _I_ won."

There was a pause.

"Like I said," Naruto said picking up her fork. Kagura sat back into her chair, stunned. "The difference between Neji and I then, I believe, was that I wanted to protect your Aunt Hinata. Neji just wanted to prove that he was right – he was a real asshole then."

The children in the room all stared at their father in trepidation.

As usual, Neji just smiled serenely. "Yes I was," he said with a nod.

(Alas, Kagura didn't become queen for a looooong time. She was _totally_ unprepared for it.)


	8. The Reason Why Shisui 2

**The Reason Why Shisui…**

… **decides to threaten Neji.**

 **(Credit to D for this idea)**

Because really, even after ten years _nobody_ was good for his other baby sis, right?

(His opinion, honestly.)

The younger generation of ninja surprised him, he admitted. Hyuuga working hard to create a different seal, something hidden, something for _all_ members of the clan…

…yeah, no, it was just his clan and the Hyuuga clan he was pleased to note had a real change in attitude.

 _And his other baby sis, of course._

Her arrival in the Hidden Leaf Village caused quite an uproar; what with her being a _queen_ and all that. There was a small procession, his little sister keeping her head up high, and Saki holding the door for her to see the Kage…

Shisui missed Naruto in the last decade.

Not that he hadn't missed anyone else, he just… Really hadn't missed anyone else quite as much.

So, when he went to see her, he happened to hear that Hyuuga brat talking to her, sounding a bit nervous.

"Do you, maybe, want to get pizza sometime? Maybe?"

His voice was nervous, as though he didn't really know what he was doing.

Shisui's eyes sharpened into the Sharingan. _Nobody was good enough for his baby sis._

Hell, Saki was his _blood_ sister and Itachi wasn't good for her! But he knew Saki enough – and Itachi – to only threaten their lives, knowing that Saki or Itachi would probably hate themselves afterwards and killing a fellow ninja was highly frowned upon.

He knew Naruto well enough that she really wouldn't be pleased if he just threatened Neji's life.

So, he'd make sure Neji never told.

~:~

Stalking the Hyuuga was short-lived, as Shisui simply had to flash a Sharingan in his direction for Neji to get it.

In the illusion, Shisui smiled at Neji.

"You hurt her," he began, "and you die. In the most painful way possible." He glared at Neji.

Neji swallowed. "I don't intend to hurt her."

Shisui grinned. "Most people don't." In this illusion, he did not use his Sharingan. He found it was an effective way to get people to do what he wanted. The knowledge he _could_ use his Sharingan on them but didn't.

(Okay, so he may thrive on the fear of a few people. Who, in all seriousness, cared?)

"Are you done threatening me?" Neji questioned.

Shisui knew he'd put fear into the Hyuuga's heart.

"Yep! Good talk!"

~:~

"You know," Naruto mentioned during a cup of tea in the Uchiha district, "you didn't have to threaten my boyfriend."

Shisui ignored the choking sounds of his brother-in-law and sister. "I thought it would be prudent, even though I know for a fact you'd kill him yourself."

Naruto shook her head. "I would not." She sipped her tea, ignoring Shisui's raised brow for the moment. "I died for him, if he decides I'm not worth him then it's his loss. I'll just find someone who _might_ do the same for me." She tapped her chin. "Ren-kun is a very handsome Uzumaki. I think he would probably do."

Shisui sweatdropped. "You're probably going to outlive everyone here," he mused. "Why choose him, a person who you'll outlive? Knowing such a thing must be heartbreaking."

Naruto stared at him, her face serene and calm.

"I begged him yesterday to reconsider," she said, startling them. "He asked me to marry him." She set her teacup down. "I told him everything I could to get him to reconsider but he persisted. He told me he already died for me once. He also told me that when he actually _does_ die, that if I return him to life, he's going to kill _me_ for doing that."

"I see," Shisui said, truly seeing. "And… Does this mean you will have a child to become a queen?"

Naruto stared at him.

"First of all, I am _nowhere_ near ready to have a child, and second that child would become queen if I wanted a break… Look, since I'm going to live ages, _obviously_ there will be times where my firstborn is Queen. But I am the reigning queen, and my orders will supersede any my child makes."

She sipped her tea again.

"Neji and I will discuss everything in due time," she finished, setting her teacup down and wincing when it came to hearing it _clink._

~:~

The wedding day for them was long overdue.

Even so, as Neji walked around, many, _many_ people 'discreetly' fingered their kunai.

(Shisui saw Hinata pat Naruto on the back, laugh, and then whisper something in the woman's ear. Hinata did the same for Neji.

It came as no surprise to some that Hinata and Shisui married later on, but… That's a totally different story.)


End file.
